Meet Teddy!

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National Dog Day, a day to celebrate all the reasons dogs are man’s best friend, happened recently. I totally missed Doggie Day, but today I’m making up for it by introducing to you our dog, Teddy.

Five years ago, we adopted Teddy from a Los Angeles shelter. According to the shelter staff, Teddy was found “wandering” around L.A., so we’ll never know about his past life and how and why he got to the streets. We do know that Teddy was around two years old when they found him. The instant we saw Teddy at the shelter we knew we had to bring him home with us. When we walked up to his cage Teddy cried and put his paw under the gate, reaching out to us. I once read that dogs know if you are a good person based on your body language and how you treat others. Maybe Teddy sensed this about us or maybe he was just miserable inside the cage.

A mix of Maltese, Poodle and Terrier, Teddy is our first family dog and we love him very much. And Teddy loves us no matter what. He is such a cuddler and trusts us completely. I don’t know why, but we have upwards of five alternate names for him: Teddynoodle, Ted, Pooch, Mr. Ted, and Tedster.

(I just looked at my phone and realized I have about 50 pictures of Teddy and hundreds more on my computer.)

Teddy senses when we are upset. Usually, he will quietly observe you from a corner of the room. After a while, he comes over and lies down next to you and gently rests his head in your lap. When I was going through my divorce, Teddy picked up on my sadness and adjusted his behavior accordingly. During this time, he showed less interest in his toys and spent more time cuddling with me on my bed.

Here are some reasons why we love Teddy so much:

Every time I come home, he cries with happiness as if I am a soldier returning from war. He grabs one of my shoes and drags it to the couch. I think this is his way of saying “I got your shoe lady, you aren’t going anywhere.”

The way he creeps into our beds and positions himself next to our backs to keep us warm.

The way he loves us unconditionally no matter the circumstances of our life.

Sometimes we think he is not very dog-like. I know most dogs see people as dogs but Teddy sees himself as a human. Maybe this has something to do with his past. Teddy is a very mellow dog – not a single mean bone in his body.For Halloween we got him a bee costume and he wears a “Let it snow” hoodie to go outside in the winter if the snow is high and his fur is long. Teddy doesn’t mind the silly outfits. He wears whatever we put on him. I think he puts up with it because he loves us.

We used to come home and find him waltzing around the house with our underwear all chewed up around his neck. His nose was always in the hamper. But Teddy stopped doing that.Back in Los Angeles, Teddy loved playing with his best friend, Marley. Teddy only knows one trick (how to sit) but it’s one that counts.After a full day of play, he enjoyed watching his favorite show “Pretty Little Liars.” (lol) Teddy loved curling up on my daughter’s bed while she watched the show.

He used to be a playful dog. His “favorite” game was to jump over several pillows that the kids would stack high. He was always so proud of himself for making the kids smile and laugh. He loved it when we cheered him on to jump and I saw pure joy on my kids’ faces. The entertainment was priceless – better than any TV show. Teddy also loved playing the “Get the Mouse “game which was basically finding his squeaky bone around the house and bring it back to us. He could do this for hours. On weekends we used to bring him to a dog park where he could run freely. Weighing only 10 pounds, Teddy was a fast runner and jumped super high.

Over the years, Teddy has been a very healthy dog. This past year we noticed that he loves to find a quiet place to retreat more than ever. His most comfortable resting area appears to be on top of the couch. He also sleeps more than ever which makes sense since Teddy is now considered a senior dog. In case you’re wondering, there are approximately 87 million dogs in the U.S. and an estimated 44 percent of them are seven years and older. Wow!

He doesn’t show any interest in his toys and “running fast” has turned into a slow jog. At the dog park he sniffs around and then searches for a comfy place to rest.

Here’s the reason. Around age seven, the glucose metabolism in a dog’s brain begins to change, which can affect memory, learning, awareness or decision making, according to experts at Purina Pro Plan.

Purina Pro Plan discovered a way to promote alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7+ through nutrition and has introduced BRIGHT MIND Adult 7+ formulas. When I heard about this I became really excited and wanted Teddy to try it. We’d love to have our “old” Teddy back.My daughter Christy and I took Teddy to our local PetSmart to look for Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind. We always take Teddy to this PetSmart to get his nails trimmed so he is already familiar with this particular store.While there, Christy and I also spotted several cute outfits for Teddy. He could care less, though. He was more interested in the food aisle.We found the colorful Purina Pro Plan dog food display right away. We picked up a bag for the small breed and I couldn’t wait for Teddy to try his new food.Senior dogs have special dietary needs. For example, many older dogs benefit from diets that are high in protein to help maintain lean body mass. Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind contains enhanced botanical oils shown to promote alertness and mental sharpness in dogs seven and older.

I read that owners who feed their senior dogs Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind as a daily diet may notice differences in owner-dog interaction, interest in play and the ability to adapt and cope with change.In the Purina feeding study, the dogs who ate this dry dog food showed changes in their cognitive abilities in as little as 30 days.Teddy loves his new food. He had no problem transitioning from his old food to Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind. We feed him twice a day and he gobbles it right up.Teddy has been on this food for nearly three weeks now and I’m starting to notice some changes. He seems more alert, follows us around more, and gets excited when he sees me grab his leash. I can’t wait to see the changes after the full 30 days. I’ll let you know!

If you have a senior dog in your life I’d love to hear from you. Have you tried Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind? Or would you consider it for your dog?

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We have two older pups in our house, so I’m really eager to hear about Teddy’s new food. Teddy seems like a real character! On a side note, my sister lives in Nashville, so I may have very well been in that exact same PetSmart. Small world! #client